This invention pertains to truck bodies, and particularly to chock block holders for truck bodies.
Chock blocks are large blocks, generally of metal, that are used as chocks for placement next to vehicle wheels to prevent vehicles from rolling when parked on hills or rough terrain. Chock blocks are particularly important to trucks used by electric and other utilities, tree surgeons, and others who have cherry pickers mounted on the trucks for work on overhead wires and removal of tree limbs. Often, trucks must be parked on hills or on uneven ground in order to provide access the wires or tree limbs to be reached. While personnel are in the cherry pickers, any movement of the truck presents a risk of injury to the personnel, as well as disruption of the task being performed.
Such trucks conventionally have somewhat specialized truck bodies formed primarily of sheet metal. The truck bodies are conventionally equipped with recesses for holding chock blocks. These recesses are conventionally formed of pieces of sheet metal that are fastened together.
There are various problems associated with the chock block recesses of the prior art. These recesses, as they are composed of pieces of sheet metal that have been fastened or welded together, are subject to stresses along seams and joints, denting on the sheet metal pieces, and require maintenance as a result. Also, water from rain may build up in the recesses, and as the sheet metal parts are generally of steel, the water can contribute to rusting of the truck body.